"D-Day" redirects here. This article is about the first day of the Invasion of Normandy. The subsequent operations are covered in Invasion of Normandy. For the use of D-Day as a general military term, see D-Day (military term). For other uses, see D-Day (disambiguation).
"Operation Neptune" redirects here. For other uses, see Operation Neptune (disambiguation).
Normandy landingsPart of Operation Overlord, Battle of Normandy
US Army troops wade ashore on Omaha Beach on the morning of 6 June 1944LocationNormandy, FranceResultDecisive Allied victory[1]Territorial
changesFive Allied beachheads established in NormandyBelligerents
Operation Overlord
Invasion of Normandy
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners set conditions regarding the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion.
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 British, US, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beach. The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day, but gained a foothold that they gradually expanded over the coming months. Museums and memorials in the area host many visitors each year.BackgroundAfter the fall of France in June 1940, the defending British Expeditionary Force, trapped along the northern coast of France, was able to evacuate over 338,000 troops to England in the Dunkirk evacuation (27 May to 4 June).[11] After the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began pressing for the creation of a second front in Western Europe. Churchill had to decline because, even with American help, the British did not have adequate forces for such a strike.[12]
Instead of an immediate return to France, the Western Allies staged offensives in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.[13] By mid-1943 the North African Campaign had been won. The Allies then launched the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and Italy in September 1943.[13] The decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion within the next year was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943.[14] Initial planning was constrained by the number of available landing craft, most of which were already committed in the Mediterranean and Pacific.[15]
Meeting of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), 1 February 1944. Front row: Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder; General Dwight D. Eisenhower; General Bernard Montgomery. Back row: Lieutenant General Omar Bradley; Admiral Bertram Ramsay; Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory; Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith
Four sites were considered for the landings: Brittany, the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, and Pas de Calais. As Brittany and Cotentin are peninsulas, it would have been possible for the Germans to cut off the Allied advance at a relatively narrow isthmus, so these sites were rejected.[16] As the Pas de Calais is the closest point in continental Europe to Britain, the Germans considered it to be the most likely initial landing zone, so it was the most heavily fortified region.[17] But it offered few opportunities for expansion, as the area is bounded by numerous rivers and canals,[18] whereas landings on a broad front in Normandy would permit simultaneous threats against the port ofCherbourg, coastal ports further west in Brittany, and an overland attack towards Paris and eventually into Germany. Normandy was hence chosen as the landing site.[19] The most serious drawback of the Normandy coast—the lack of port facilities—would be overcome through the development of artificial Mulberry harbours.[20] A series of specialised tanks, nicknamed Hobart's Funnies, were created to deal with conditions expected during the Normandy campaign, such as scaling sea-walls and providing close support on the beach.[21]
The Allies planned to launch the invasion on 1 May 1944.[18] The initial draft of the plan was accepted at the Quebec Conference in August 1943. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).[22] General Bernard Montgomery was named as commander of the 21st Army Group, which comprised all of the land forces involved in the invasion.[23] On 31 December 1943, Eisenhower and Montgomery first saw the plan, which proposed amphibious landings by three divisions with two more divisions in support. The two generals immediately insisted that the scale of the initial invasion be expanded to five divisions, with airborne descents by three additional divisions, to allow operations on a wider front and speed up the capture of the port at Cherbourg.[24] The need to acquire or produce extra landing craft for the expanded operation meant that the invasion had to be delayed to June.[24] Eventually, 39 Allied divisions would be committed to the Battle of Normandy: 22 American, 12 British, three Canadian, one Polish, and one French, totaling over a million troops[25] all under overall British command.[26]
"Operation Neptune" redirects here. For other uses, see Operation Neptune (disambiguation).
Normandy landingsPart of Operation Overlord, Battle of Normandy
US Army troops wade ashore on Omaha Beach on the morning of 6 June 1944LocationNormandy, FranceResultDecisive Allied victory[1]Territorial
changesFive Allied beachheads established in NormandyBelligerents
Operation Overlord
Invasion of Normandy
The Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners set conditions regarding the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion.
The amphibious landings were preceded by extensive aerial and naval bombardment and an airborne assault—the landing of 24,000 British, US, and Canadian airborne troops shortly after midnight. Allied infantry and armoured divisions began landing on the coast of France starting at 06:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast was divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword Beach. The Allies failed to achieve all of their goals on the first day, but gained a foothold that they gradually expanded over the coming months. Museums and memorials in the area host many visitors each year.BackgroundAfter the fall of France in June 1940, the defending British Expeditionary Force, trapped along the northern coast of France, was able to evacuate over 338,000 troops to England in the Dunkirk evacuation (27 May to 4 June).[11] After the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began pressing for the creation of a second front in Western Europe. Churchill had to decline because, even with American help, the British did not have adequate forces for such a strike.[12]
Instead of an immediate return to France, the Western Allies staged offensives in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.[13] By mid-1943 the North African Campaign had been won. The Allies then launched the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and Italy in September 1943.[13] The decision to undertake a cross-channel invasion within the next year was taken at the Trident Conference in Washington in May 1943.[14] Initial planning was constrained by the number of available landing craft, most of which were already committed in the Mediterranean and Pacific.[15]
Meeting of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), 1 February 1944. Front row: Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder; General Dwight D. Eisenhower; General Bernard Montgomery. Back row: Lieutenant General Omar Bradley; Admiral Bertram Ramsay; Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory; Lieutenant General Walter Bedell Smith
Four sites were considered for the landings: Brittany, the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy, and Pas de Calais. As Brittany and Cotentin are peninsulas, it would have been possible for the Germans to cut off the Allied advance at a relatively narrow isthmus, so these sites were rejected.[16] As the Pas de Calais is the closest point in continental Europe to Britain, the Germans considered it to be the most likely initial landing zone, so it was the most heavily fortified region.[17] But it offered few opportunities for expansion, as the area is bounded by numerous rivers and canals,[18] whereas landings on a broad front in Normandy would permit simultaneous threats against the port ofCherbourg, coastal ports further west in Brittany, and an overland attack towards Paris and eventually into Germany. Normandy was hence chosen as the landing site.[19] The most serious drawback of the Normandy coast—the lack of port facilities—would be overcome through the development of artificial Mulberry harbours.[20] A series of specialised tanks, nicknamed Hobart's Funnies, were created to deal with conditions expected during the Normandy campaign, such as scaling sea-walls and providing close support on the beach.[21]
The Allies planned to launch the invasion on 1 May 1944.[18] The initial draft of the plan was accepted at the Quebec Conference in August 1943. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed commander of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF).[22] General Bernard Montgomery was named as commander of the 21st Army Group, which comprised all of the land forces involved in the invasion.[23] On 31 December 1943, Eisenhower and Montgomery first saw the plan, which proposed amphibious landings by three divisions with two more divisions in support. The two generals immediately insisted that the scale of the initial invasion be expanded to five divisions, with airborne descents by three additional divisions, to allow operations on a wider front and speed up the capture of the port at Cherbourg.[24] The need to acquire or produce extra landing craft for the expanded operation meant that the invasion had to be delayed to June.[24] Eventually, 39 Allied divisions would be committed to the Battle of Normandy: 22 American, 12 British, three Canadian, one Polish, and one French, totaling over a million troops[25] all under overall British command.[26]